Centrifugal extractor



1,640,978 1927 T. A. BRYSON ET AL CENTRIFUGAL EXTRACTOR Filed May 15, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet .1

INVENTORS Aug. 30,1927.

1,640,978 T. A. BRYSON ET AL CENTRIFUGAL EXTRACTOR Filed May 15, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS 1 3 Aug 7 T. A. BRYSON ET AL CENTRIFUGAL EXTRACTOR Filed May 15, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 lNvENTd s: TA. Br spn dm/f fh l /l ams' A'ITOR Y 1,640,978 1927' T. A. BRYSON ET AL C RIFUGAL EXTRACTOR .ed May 15 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN TORS:

7714. 57/600 70 ff lams ATI'ORN Y Patented Aug. 30, 1927. v

UNITED STATES (PATENT OFFICE.

TANDY A. BRYSON AND FRANK I. WILLIAMS, OF TROY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO TOLHURST MACHINE WORKS, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CENTRIFUGAL EKTRACTOR.

Application filed Kay 15, 1924. Serial No. 713,468.

The invention relates to safety devices for centrifugal extractors, and more particularly to a novel form of mechanism for preventing the starting of the machine until the cover: is closed and for preventing the opening of the cover until the basket is absolutely at rest.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out. in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described. r

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together with the'description, serve "to explain the principles of the-invention.

Of the drawings: Fig. 1-is a side elevation'of a machine embodying the invention;

14 Fig. 2 is atopplancorresponding to Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan corre sponding to the right hand. part of Fig. 2, but with the safety mechanism in ajditfere'nt position; a

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation corresponding to the upper right hand part of Fig. 1, but with the safety-mechanism in a different position Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation looking at Figs. 1 and 2 from the right;

FigQ 6 .is a fragmentary detail section taken substantially on the line 66 of Fig. 1, showing the safety device in the running position; f3

Fig. 7 is a similar view to Fig. 6, but showing the' safety device in the non-running position; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged, sectional perspective view of a portion of the safety sleeve.

The invention is directed to a novel, simple and very efficient safety mechanism for centrifugal machines, which revents starting of the machine while the cover is open and prevents opening of the cover until the ma-' chine has come absolutely to rest., Furthermore, the safety mechanism, in its preferred form, comprises members cooperating or interlocking directly together, one of which is movable directly with the basket cover and the other directly with the basket driving shaft.

The member movable with the driving shaft must be iven' rotation relatively to the driving shaft and in the driving direction'before the basket cover can be opened. This insures that thecover cannot be opened until the shaft is at rest, as practical experience has shown it to be physically impossible to so rotate the member while the shaft is still rotating. This produces an exceedingly simple, reliable and foolproof safety locking means for the cover and the power.

Referring now in detail to the embodiment of the invention illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, the invention is applied to an underdriven, beltdriven centrifugal. The basket (not shown), which may be of any usual or suitable ,kind,

is enclosed in a casing 2, which is supported on a hollow base 3. The basket shaft 4 is carried in a suitable bearing (not shown) and projects downwardly within the base 3. A belt pulley 5 is fixed on the shaft 4 and a drivingbelt 6 runs thereover. The belt 6 runs over suitable guiding pulleys? and 8, journaled'respectively upon a supporting bracket 9. The bracket 9 is preferably de-. signed. and mounted to take up slack in the belt and for this purpose it is piv- -otally mounted at 10; upon a bracket 11,

fixed to or integral with the base' por- 0 tion of the pedestal 3. The positioning means for-the bracket 9 and its belt pulleys 7' and 8 comprises a screw 12, screw-threaded into a flange on the bracket 9, and having its point bearing upon a face 13 on the bracket 11. The screw is preferably provided with a locking nut 14.

The belt 6 runs over a drivenpulley 1:"), fixed on a shaft 16, which isjo'urnaled in the horizontally-disposed, ,U-shaped frame 17, which'projects rearwardly horizontally from the casing 2, to which it is bolted. There is preferably provided also a supporting stay 18, bolted at its top end to the outer transverse part of the frame 17and at its bottom end to the lower part ofthe casing 2. Fixed to shaft 16 is a fast pulley 19 and journaled loosely thereon is a loose pulley 20.

A- suitable belt shifter is provided; and as embodied, it comprises a horizontally-disposed rod 28, longitudinally slidable in apertures in supports 29 and 30, which supports are mounted upon, and project upwardly from, the frame 17. Two belt-engaging fingers 31 and 32 project downwardly from the rod 28 to engage with,,and to shift, the belt 33 in the usual manner. The actuating means for therod 28 comprises an arm 34 having a pin-and-slot connection 35 with one end of. the rod 28. v

The arm 34 is fixed on a shaft 37, which shaft is journaled in bearings 38 and 39, formed on one side of the support 29, and is also journaled in a bracket arm 40, fixed to one of the side reaches of the frame 17. The shaft 37 has an actuating arm 41 fixed thereto, whereby the shaft may berocked and the belt be thereby shifted toand fro between the fast and loose pulleys in the usual manbrackets 51 and 52 extending therefrom and fixed to a shaft 53, which is journaled at 54 and 55 in brackets fixed on the casing 2. The shaft 53- extends outwardly at one end, and has fixed to its outer end airarm 56. The arm 56 has fixed to its outer end an inwardly-extending pin 57, which pin works in .a slot 59 formed in a cam plate 60. The cam plate 60 is mounted on shaft 53 by means of an elongated slot 61 through which the shaft 53 passes, whereby the cam plate has radial or substantially radial movement relative to the shaft 53.

Cam plate 60 has a safety finger 64 projecting outwardly therefrom, this finger being also reciprocably mounted in an aperture in a guiding and supportingbracket 65, carried on a side reach of the frame 17. The slot 59 in cam plate 60 is shaped (Figs. 1 and 4) so that the finger 64 will be moved to and fro approximately radially with ref-' erence' to the shaft 53 as the safety cover 50 is raised and ldwered, and also so that the entire movement in one direction occurs-at thebeginning of the opening movementof the safety cover and the entire movement in the opposite direction occurs at the end of the closing movement of the safety cover.

That is, the safety finger 64 will be moved to the non-running position immediately that the opening of the safety cover is begun, and will remain at that position until just as the safety cover is completely closed. The machine must be stopped and part 68 must be in proper position before safety fin er 64 can he moved,- or, rather, before the safetymover 'can be raised.

The devices mounted upon the driving shaft 16- cooperating with the devices just described, comprise a locking sleeve 68, having an. outer part 69 of lesser diameter and an inner part 7 0 of greater diameter, adapted to pass alternatively into line with finger 64 to permit or prevent movement thereof. The sleeve is preferably provided with a flange 71 on the inner face thereof. The locking sleeve is loosely mounted on the driving shaft 16 so as to have relative movement both along and about the shaft, to move the locking sleeve into and out of locking position with respect to the finger 64.

- The connections between the sleeve and shaft are such that the locking sleeve must be rotated relatively to the driving shaft 16 in the direction of driving rotation of the shaft in order tomove the sleeve from the safety locking position to the unlocking shaft 16, the safety sleeve will move inwardly along the shaft from the safety interlocking position to the non-running position or interlocking position.

Means are providedby the invention for insuring the interlocking action, and as'embodied, said means are constructed. and arranged so that thesafety sleeve68 is moved to the interlockingposltion whenever the belt is thrown on. In the embodied form thereof anarm 74 is fixed on shaft 37 (Fig, 5) so that as the belt is thrown on, the safety sleeve 68 will be moved to the safety interlocking position.

The operation of the mechanism just described is substantially as follows The safety cover 50 may be regarded as in the raised or open position of Fig. 4 so that the basket may be loaded. It will be remembered that when the safety cover The direction of inclina- 50 is opened,the safety docking sleeve 68 j must be in the inner position .ofshaft 16, and that it can be moved inwardly along ,shaft 16 to this position (shown in.Figs.

3 and 4) only when shaft 16 is at rest.

- When safety cover 50 is open, arm 56 is in thelower part of slot 59 (as shown in Fig.

4), and finger 64 is in its extreme outward position 1n line with the flat side face of the enlarged part 70 of the safety sleeve.

- The finger thereby prevents the sleeve being moved to the running position, and thus prevents the slipping of the belt from the loose to the fast pulley so llOIlg as the safety cover is open. That is finger 64 (Fig. 5) prevents safety sleeve 68 being moved outwardly on shaft 16, and the belt cannot be shifted from the loose to the fast pulley unless arm 74 so moves safety sleeve 68.

When the safety cover is closed by the attendant, arm 56 is thereby swung along slot 59, which for-the greater portion of its length is concentric with the arm 56, so that there is no motion of the cam plate 60 or of the safety finger 64. Just as the cover 50 is about to close the pin 57 reaches the upper, outwardly curved part of the cam slot 59 (Fig. 4), and thereby safety finger 64 is retracted out of the path of movement of the safety locln'ng sleeve 68 just as the cover 50 closes.

The belt shifting lever 41 may now be rocked by hand, and thereby the bar 28 is moved longitudinally from left to right in Fig. 5, and the belt is shifted from loose pulley 20 to fast pulley 19 and the basket begins to rotate. By this same movement, the safety-locking sleeve 68 is moved outwardly along shaft 16, from the position of Fig. 3 to that of Figs. 1 and 2, and the enlarged peripheral part 70 of the safety lockingsleeve is moved into the path of the safety finger 64. Outward movement of the finger 64 is thereby prevented, and this prevents opening of the safety cover 50. This safety interlocking condition continues so long as shaft 16 continues to rotate, for the reason that safety sleeve 68 can be moved back to a position permitting movement of finger 64 only by being rotated by hand about shaft 16 in the direction of rotation of the shaft, and this is impossible until shaft 16 comes to rest.

When the belt is shifted again to the loose pulley, the basket'does not necessarily come instantly to rest. The mechanism, however, will not permit the opening of the cover until the shaft 16 and the basket have come to a full stop. This is due to the fact, just above stated, that to move the safety-locking sleeve from the interlocking position of Fig. 2 to the free position of Fig. 3, it is necessary to rotate the locking-sleeve on'the shaft '16 in the direction of rotation of the shaft.

This is done manually by the attendant and practical experience has shown that it is impossible to do this so long as the shaft 16 continues to rotate. Thus the machine cannot be started until the safety cover is closed and the safety cover cannot be opened until the machine has come absolutely to rest.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and Without sacrificing its chief advantages What we claim is l. A *centrifugal extractor including in combination a basket, a driving shaft, a basket cover, locking means for the cover including a member driven by the shaft 4 and a member controlled by the cover, the

cover being unlocked by rotating one of said members relatively to the shaft and in the same direction as the shaft drives, and means for preventing the basket starting until the cover being unlocked by rotating said rotating member relatively to the shaft and in the same direction as the shaft drivesfand means for preventing the basket starting until the cover is locked.

3. A centrifugal extractor including in combination a basket, a driving shaft, a basket cover, locking means for the cover lncluding a member rotating with the shaft and movable longitudinally thereof and a member controlled by the cover, the cover being unlocked by rotating said rotating member relatively to the shaft and'in the direction in which the shaft drives to move 1t longitudinally of the shaft, and means for preventing the basket starting until the cover is locked.

4. centrifugal extractor including in combination a basket, a driving shaft, a safety cover, a safety lock including a member movable with the cover and a member concentric with and rotating with the shaft ber movable with the cover and a'member rotating with the shaft and longitudinally movable thereon and being rotatable in the same "direction relatively thereto for preventing the opening of the cover as long" as the shaft continues to rotate.

7. A centrifugal extractor including in combination a basket, a driving shaft, a safety cover, a safety lock including a member movable with the cover and a member mounted upon and rotating with the shaft and being rotatable in the same direction relatively thereto to pass out of the path 5 of said first-mentioned member for preventing the starting of the driving shaft until the safety cover has been closed.

8. A centrifugal extractor includin in combination a basket, a driving shaft, a safety cover, a safety lock including a member reciprocably movable with the cover and a member rotating with the shaft and being rotatable in 'the' same direction relatively thereto, said two members mutually locking each other forpreventing the starting of the driving shaft unless the cover has been closed, and for preventing the opening of the cover as long as the driving shaft continues to rotate.

9. A centrifugal extractor including in combination a basket, a driving shaft, a

safety cover, a safety lock including a memsafety cover, a safety lock including a mem-.

ber reciprocably movable with the cover and a member rotating with the shaft and being rotatable in the same directionrelatiyely thereto to pass out of the path of said first-mentioned member. Y I

11. A centrifugal extractor including in combination a basket, a driving shaft, a

All. safety cover, a safety lock including a mem-,

ber reciprocably movable with "the cover and a member mounted upon and rotating with the shaft and being rotatable in the same direction relatively thereto to 'pass out of the path of said first-mentioned member.

12. A centrifugal extractor including in combination a basket, a driving shaft, a safety cover, a safety lock including a member movable with tlre cover and a member rotating with the shaft and being rotatable. in the same direction relatively thereto and controlling said first-mentioned movable member, and means for preventing starting of the shaft while the cover is open.

13.,A centrifugal extractor includirig in combination a basket, a driving shaft, a safety cover, a safety lock including a member movable with the cover and a member rotating with the shaft and being rotatable in the'same direction relatively thereto and controlling said first-mentioned movable member, and means cooperating with one of said members for preventing starting of theshaft while the cover is open.

14. A centrifugal extractor including in combination a basket, adriving shaft, a safety cover, a safety lockincluding a member movable with the cover and a member mounted upon and rotating with the shaft and being rotatable in the same direction relatively thereto and controlling said first mentioned movable member, and means for preventing starting of the shaft while the. cover is open.

15. A centrifugal extractor including in combination a basket, a driving shaft, a safety cover, a safety lock including a member movable wi h the cover and a member mounted up n and rotating with the shaft and being rotatable in the same direction relatively thereto and controlling said first mentioned movable member and meanscooperating with one of said members for pre venting starting of the shaft while the cover is open. I

16. A centrifugal extractor including in combination a basket, a driving shaft, .a satety cover, a safety lock lncludlng a member movable with the cover and a memberro-tating with the shaft and 'being rotatable in the same direction relatively thereto to pass out of the path of said first-mentioned mem- 'cover is closed and for preventing the opening of the cover until the machine has stopped.

18. In combination with a centrifugal machine, an element movable with the cover of the centrifugaland positionable in locking and non-locking positions, a member rotatable with the driving mechanism of the centrifugal and positionable in locking and nonlocking positions, said member being movable to unlocking position by being rotated in the same direction that the driving mechanism is rotated, said element and said member mutually interengaging for preventing the starting of the machine unless the cover is closed and for preventing the opening of the cover until the machine has stopped.

19. In combination with a centrifugal machine, a shaft for driving the centrifugal, a locking member keyed to said shaft to rotate therewith and longitudinally movable thereon, a locking member connected to move with the cover of the centrifugal, said two locking members interengaging for mutually lockingeach other,-for preventing the starting of the driving shaft when the cover is llS open, and for preventing the opening of the cover While the shaft is rotating.

20. In combination with a centrifugal machine, a driving shaft, a locking sleeve, means, including a key and a diagonal slot, for positioning the sleeve on the shaft, and a locking member movable with the cover of the centrifugal, thelocking member preventing longitudinal movement of the sleeve on the shaft unless the cover is closed.

21. In combination with a centrifugal machine, a driving shaft, a locking sleeve, means, including a key and a diagonal slot, for positioning the sleeve on the shaft, and a locking member movable with the cover of the centrifugal, the locking sleeve being engageable with the locking member for preventing the opening of the cover whilethe shaft and the basket of the centrifugal are rotating.

22. In combination with a centrifugal machine, a driving shaft, a locking sleeve, means including a key and a diagonal slot, for positioning the sleeve on the shaft, and a locking member movable with the cover of the centrifugal, the locking sleeve and the locking member serving to lock each other for preventing the starting of the driving shaft unless the cover is closed and for preventing the opening of the cover unless rotation of the driving shaft has ceased.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification.

TANDY A. BRYSON. FRANK r.- WILLIAMS. 

